


The Culmination of Everything I've Never Had

by wax_castle



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Coming Out, Everyone is Gay and Nobody Will Convince Me Otherwise, Multi, Not Beta Read, Theater gays, and probably never will be, art gays, so there's probably mistakes lmao sorry, some real coming of age bullshit, this has actually never been beta read
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25214728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wax_castle/pseuds/wax_castle
Summary: It's Sokka's senior year. He thought it might be more, well, exciting. But his feelings on the first day is the same as it's always been. But when he starts talking to Zuko, the boy he hated in freshman year, he realizes his senior year might be way more fun than he thought it would.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 55





	1. The Start of Something Exactly the Same

The sun forced its way through the curtains. Sokka made a gross sound and turned over. He knew it was the first day of his senior year. He’s known it for weeks, he knew it last night. But did that stop him from researching conspiracy theories until three in the morning? Of course it didn’t. He felt himself slipping back to sleep. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he missed the first day.

“Hey!” Katara bust in. Of course she did. 

“Hhmm.” Sokka grumbled. “Go ‘way.”

“I would love to,” Katara crossed her arms, “Your bedroom smells like a locker room. But you have to drive me to school.”

“Get Dad to drive you.”

“He already went to work.” 

“Bato, then.” 

“His car is in the shop Sokka. Come on.”

“Walk.” He was shoved off of the bed. “Hey!”

“You can’t miss the first day of your last year, Sokka!” Katara huffed. “Get up.”  
“I’m up!” Sokka complained, tying his hair back. Sokka opened his mouth to argue more but Katara was already on her way out. He scowled and searched his floor for a shirt. He found a blue tee and smelled it. Not too bad. He pulled it over his head and went to find some deodorant. Alright. This should be fine.

The hallway was covered in pictures. Him and Katara as babies, then toddlers, onto children. Hakoda’s and Bato’s wedding. Sokka snorted, the last remaining picture of Katara’s emo phase still hung in the hallway. She had blue streaks in her hair, arms crossed over a band t-shirt, eyeliner halfway down her face. She begged Hakoda and Bato not to put it up but it was just too good. But he reached the end of the hallway. A picture of Kya. He smiled at it softly and entered the kitchen.

“Morning, grouchy!” Bato held a large bowl and whisk. Sokka mumbled something and Bato placed a large mug of black coffee in front of him. Sokka accepted it gratefully, drinking it too fast and burning his tongue. He yelled and Bato laughed at him. He heard the pan on the stove sizzling and a few minutes later, Bato set a plate of pancakes in front of him. 

“Thank you Bato.” Sokka mumbled. The coffee helped, he was definitely an addict. But whatever. 

“So have they announced the musical yet?” Bato asked, plating pancakes for Katara. 

“Well. No, not yet. But I’m one of Gyatso’s favorites somehow so he told me. We’re doing Little Shop.” Sokka was already running through set design in his head. Would they use foam to build the plant? God forbid he had to wrestle  _ more _ pool noodles into looking like something else. 

“Nice. A classic.”

Sokka hummed thoughtfully. He already knew who would be cast. He tried not to think like that but it was the truth. 

Katara interrupted his thoughts when she rushed into the dining room. She wore a dark blue dress, hair braided, and a black zip up sweatshirt over it. Some of the emo phase stuck around. She sat down and dug into her pancakes, talking fast about student gov but Sokka can’t process information this early in the morning. He sips his coffee and nods silently. She finishes her pancakes and starts to rush him out the door. He eats his pancakes inhumanly fast, to which she makes a disgusted noise and throws his shoes at him so maybe he’ll put them on faster. He won’t. But they won’t be late anyway.

Sokka slips on his sneakers and grabs the keys to his car with the ridiculous amount of seats in it. When he first got his license and finally had saved up for a car, he knew he needed one that could safely transport all of the gay people he was friends with. So he bought Kragatha, a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer. Katara gets in the passenger's seat and eyes the aux cord. They both knew this game. Sokka takes it because it’s his car. He scrolls through his music until he finds the perfect song. Katara groaned as the guitar came over the speakers. 

_ Stacy’s mom has got it going on _ . Sokka turned up the volume and rolled the windows all the way down.

“I hate you.” Katara crosses her arms. Sokka just cackles and sings along. He might lose his voice again but so be it. 

“We grabbing the kids?” He shouts over the speaker.

“Yes.”

“What?”

“Fuck you!” She turns down the volume. Sokka pouts. “Yes we’re grabbing them.” Last year they made friends with two freshmen, Aang and Toph. Aang was this happy little kid on the basketball team. He was short but he could jump ridiculously high and he was fast as hell. Toph tried out for the football team. They almost didn’t let her try out but after she beat the fuck out of all the other kids they didn’t really have a choice. This got her suspended in the first week of school but she  _ did _ make the team. They went to Aang’s first, he lived right down the street. He was sitting on the front porch with his headphones in. He wore a bright orange sweatshirt that was a few sizes too big on him, jeans, and white sneakers. His dog, Appa, a massive Briad, was sleeping next to him. He also had a cat named Momo, a stray he picked up. Momo was sleeping on top of Appa. Aang grinned wider than Sokka thought was possible when Kragatha pulled up. 

“Hey guys!” He chirped, hopping in the back. He took his headphones out and shoved them into the pocket of his sweatshirt. 

“Hey!” Katara smiled at him. Sokka threw up a hand at him and grinned, turning up the volume. He pulls out of the driveway, making his way over to Toph’s house over in the local gated community. The Beifong’s hated them but they would just have to deal. 

“Someone text Toph and ask her what song she wants.” Sokka shouted. Aang pulled out his phone and shot her a message. 

“She says she wants the most profanity!” Aang hollered from the back seat.

“Nice.” Sokka sped up just a little. “Hey Katara get something ready for when we pull up.” 

“Under no circumstance.” 

“Fine.” Katara almost looked relieved before he said, “I’ll just do it myself when we get there.” 

Sokka rolled all of the windows down further. He let it stay silent for a few seconds, and saw the Beifongs actually look surprised. He knew it could blow out his speaker but fuck it, it was senior year. Windows all the way down, speakers all the way up, he put on a classic. Toph immediately recognized it and she cackled, snorting while her parents shut all the windows. Katara rubbed her face with her hands.

Toph got in the car, “What’s up gay people?” She wore green shorts and a white t-shirt. She still refused to wear shoes even though it upset her parents. Her hair was tied up but the front was unruly. 

“Hey Toph!” Aang was in a good mood today. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence but it was still nice. Toph held her hand out for a fist bump.

“Seatbelt, Toph.” Sokka reprimanded, she rolled her eyes and complied. He pulled out of the driveway, turning down the music just a little now that they had departed.

“Do we really have to do that  _ every _ time? I can’t look them in the eyes anymore.” Katara complained. 

“It’s okay Katara, I’ve  _ never _ looked them in the eyes.” Toph said. 

“You what-- Toph, you’re blind.”

“Holy  _ shit! _ Katara, I’m blind! What happened to me?” She wailed, throwing her hands over her eyes. 

Katara groaned and whacked her face with her hands.

When they arrived at the school they immediately went to the auditorium. It was what they did every morning. They met up with Suki in the parking lot, she broke out her leather jacket for the first day. Over the summer she got new piercings, now she had a ring in her left nostril and two rings on the higher part of her ear. She laughed when Sokka swerved Kragatha into the parking lot. Her bike was way nicer than Kragatha, she leaned on it when they pulled in. 

Sokka pulled into the parking spot next to her bike. “Everyone out of Kragatha,” he ordered. He and Suki walked together, chatting about the summer. Toph and Katara were arguing about something, but it wasn't serious because Aang was laughing. 

They entered the auditorium like they always did, that was where they hung out in the mornings. 

There was someone new today. Well. Not new, but he wasn’t usually here. Zuko was sitting on the stage, legs crossed, headphones in. He wore a black hoodie and a red flannel, unsurprising. Sokka hadn’t talked to him since freshman year when they didn’t get along. But that was years ago and he was cute, so fuck it. Sokka sat down a  _ respectable _ distance away from him. 

“Hey,” He grinned at him. Zuko startled, wide eyed, and took out one headphone. 

“Um. Hi,” The pale boy said. Sokka found himself staring at him, he was pretty. Zuko looked uncomfortable and Sokka remembered the way people stare at him when they first meet him. The scar was a little hard to ignore.

“What are you listening to?” He asked, Zuko flushed. 

“Um,” He looked embarrassed, “My Chemical Romance.” He said the last part so quietly Sokka barely heard him. He wasn’t surprised. 

“Nice!” Sokka said, Zuko looked surprised.

“You don’t think it’s like,” He looked down, “Dumb?” 

“Nah, I listen to everything. You should see my music taste. It’s trash.” Sokka laughed, “How was your summer?” 

“It was good,” Zuko grimaced, Sokka remembered what happened freshman year and chose to drop it. It was all anyone talked about. His father had been the mayor, but after what he did to, well, Zuko’s face, he was long gone. Prison, presumably. Zuko lived with Mr. Iroh, the guidance counselor, who was also Zuko’s uncle.

Everyone loved Mr. Iroh. Whether you needed a class switched, someone to talk to, or just to chill for a minute, he’d welcome you in, give you some tea, and tell bad jokes and confusing proverbs until your next class. He’d let you stay if you needed to but usually it was fine by next period. They ended up giving him an entire classroom that they weren’t using because so many kids would just need to chill for a minute. 

“So what brings you to the auditorium?” Sokka asked, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in here before.”

“Oh, yeah,” The other boy mumbled and looked down, “Well I figured, since I um. I don’t really have many friends, so.”

“Oh.”

“Sorry.”

“No don’t be sorry!” Sokka said, “Hey, uh, why not be friends with us!” He gestured behind him to where Toph and Suki were arm wrestling, Aang chanted loudly, and Katara pinched the bridge of her nose in defeat.

“Really?” Zuko looked so excited. His eyes lit up, Sokka felt his stomach flip a little bit. “I mean, yeah thanks, that sounds cool.” Zuko backtracked just a little, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Yeah man,” Sokka said, “You seem pretty cool.” Zuko’s face went completely red and he muttered something about how he wasn’t.

“Rad,” Sokka said, “Hey gang, Zuko’s our friend now!” Suki looked up to smile at him, and Toph used that to beat her.

“Hey!” Suki protested, but laughed. Aang smiled so brightly it made Sokka smile. It was good they accepted him so easily but honestly of course they did. 

“Are you gay?” Toph asked bluntly.

Zuko spluttered, “I’m sorry? I mean yes, but why?” 

“One of us!” Toph shouted, banging her fist on the table. Sokka couldn’t help but be excited. It might have been better if he had said no.

Suki and Toph joined hands to arm wrestle again. Suki won this time.

Zuko stood awkwardly, unsure how to interact with these people. Sokka didn’t blame him. 

“So what do you do for fun?” Sokka asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Um.” He looked down, “Well I wanted to try out for the plays this year.”

Sokka immediately perked up, “Oh yeah? You should do it. I do tech.”  
“Oh cool.” Zuko said, “I don’t know much about theater. I always wanted to do it though. So I figured why not now? I probably won’t get a lead but, um, that’s okay.” He started rambling. Sokka laughed.

“That’s okay! Ensemble is so important.” He said, touching Zuko’s shoulder for a second, “I didn’t know you sing man, hell yeah.”

“I don’t usually sing in public. I’ve been taking lessons since I was a kid though.”

“Sweet,” Sokka said, “I bet you’re super talented.” Zuko blushed harder than Sokka had ever seen. It was really cute, actually. Sokka opened his mouth to say something but the bell rang. He laughed.

“Where you headed?” He asked.

“Oh, uh, I have English.” 

“No way, me too. I have Gyatso cause he loves me.” Sokka said, “Who do you have?”

“I um, I also have Gyatso.” Zuko smiled softly. 

“Oh dope,” Sokka said, “You wanna sit with me?” 

Zuko agreed and they walked to class together.

English was boring, as usual. It was the first day so it was just going over the syllabus. Sokka spent most of class pointing out the assholes and making fun of them to Zuko.

After the bell rang they went to separate classes. Math was fine, but Sokka skipped science with Mr. Jeong to hang out in the art room. 

Mr. Piandao sighed when he saw him come in but didn’t say anything. This was a common occurrence. Sokka waved at him and noticed Zuko and Suki over at a table. At this rate he might not go to science all semester. He grabbed a sketchbook and a set of pencils. 

“Hey guys,” He sat down next to Zuko.

“Oh hey Sokka, I didn’t know you were in this class.” Zuko said, picking up his own pencil.

Suki laughed, “He’s not. He’s just dumb.”

“Hey!” Sokka tossed an eraser at her, “I am  _ not _ .” Zuko quietly laughed next to him.

“Sure,” Suki held up her hands. She looked up at Sokka and giggled quietly. Then she brought her pencil to the paper and started to draw a crude version of Sokka. He huffed and picked up his own pencil, starting a drawing of her. He made her look equally ridiculous but by the end of it they just started drawing each other normally. They did this a lot, and honestly it was amazing practice. Zuko looked on, almost surprised by how well the portraits turned out. Sokka noticed his interest.

“Aw Suki, we left him out. We’re terrible friends.” Sokka whined a little.

“Oh no, it’s okay!” Zuko said quickly.

“Nope. Unacceptable. I’m drawing you now, hold still.”

Zuko flushed red but complied. By the end of class Sokka had a rough sketch done. 

“Okay,” He said, taking the page out of the sketchpad, “All done.”

“Thank you,” He seemed kind of dazed, “Sorry, I probably moved a lot.”

“Nah,” Sokka waved his hand loosely, “You were perfect.”

Zuko fully turned red, mumbled something, and picked up his stuff.   
“I’ll um, see you at lunch?” Zuko asked, holding his backpack straps.

Sokka was a little bit surprised, but grinned. “Sure.”

The rest of the day went by pretty uneventfully. Sokka met Katara outside of the school, where she was talking to her student gov friends. Toph and Aang met up with them a few minutes later and they all piled into Kragatha. Sokka put on some chill music this time, the day had been normal but still tiring. But drama club started next week, and with Zuko auditioning it was about to get way more interesting.


	2. Auditions: Sokka Being Supportive, Not in a Gay Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first week of drama club. Sokka assumed Zuko was talented if he was auditioning, but damn.

The auditorium was packed with students. Every one of them a theater nerd. As usual, the freshmen all banded together like a herd. Eventually some of them would make friends with upperclassmen, but for now most of the upperclassmen wanted nothing to do with them. They were all so… loud. 

Sokka did notice three of them off doing their own thing. He recognized one of them as Azula, Zuko’s younger sister. He had never spoken to her, but Zuko had pointed her out once. With her was a girl standing on her hands, and a very grouchy looking goth girl. They were by far, the most interesting freshmen that he had encountered so far. Azula wore a black button up with a red rose pattern. The girl on her hands wore a pink crop top that she managed to keep in place somehow, some blue denim shorts, and sneakers. The goth girl with them had the typical blue plaid skirt, a tee with a band Sokka had never heard of, and the fishnets.

Suki walked up next to him, “Freshmen,” she sighed, “They’re just so… full of energy.”

“Is it bad that we hate that? I feel like it’s bad that we hate that.”

“Maybe? I’ve been in this room for five minutes and I’m already a little bit drained.” She shrugged. “Did Gyatso tell you what you’re doing?” 

Sokka nodded, “Little Shop.” He could tell her, she wasn’t a drama kid. She just hung out in the audi before they would get started.

She hummed thoughtfully, “Gonna have to build that plant.” 

He nodded, thinking about the logistics again. Someone could be inside of it. Or the plant could be humanoid. Or…

“Hey,” Suki elbowed him, “Don’t stress about it too hard.”

“Thanks Suki, I’m cured.” He joked, still eyeing the empty stage. Then he noticed Zuko, standing awkwardly. He looked lost. 

“Hey!” Sokka called, and Zuko looked up. He looked even more lost now, oops. Sokka held up a hand and Zuko saw him. He started to walk toward them. 

“Hi Sokka.” He shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Hey,” Sokka smiled, “You looked a little bit lost.”

“I was.”

Gyatso hopped up on stage and the kids all quieted down. Suki ducked out, she wasn’t very interested in the rest of the club. He announced the play and the drama department collectively lost their shit. Interestingly, Zuko just looked thoughtful. The only other group who didn’t have a reaction were those three freshmen. Weird. But that made sense for their vibe. Sokka stood up and made his way to the stage. Zuko followed because honestly, he didn’t really know what else to do. 

“So, who are you auditioning for?” Sokka asked.

“Well,” Zuko turned a little red, “I mean it’s stupid but Seymour maybe? I’ll probably just get an ensemble role though. Which is fine! I’m cool with that. But you know, I might as well try.”

“Nice! I bet you’re super talented man, don’t sell yourself short.” Sokka interrupted him before he could keep rambling. Zuko turned even redder and stopped talking.

“Thanks.”

Sokka smiled and continued to overlook the stage. They could have the street up front. Shop in the back. That would keep it simple. 

“So you’re in tech?” Sokka looked up at the other boy and nodded, “Wait, I already knew that. I’m sorry, sometimes I asked questions I already know the answers to.” Zuko was rambling again.

“No worries,” Sokka laughed.

Eventually the auditorium cleared out and it was just Sokka and Zuko sitting in the middle of the stage.

“We should probably head out.” Sokka noted, “You need a ride?”

“No, I have to drive my sister home-- Fuck!” He stood up and looked around, presumably for Azula. 

“Oh they went out that way,” Sokka pointed to the hallway, “They’re probably just waiting there.” Zuko visibly calmed down and they walked outside, where the three freshmen were chatting. 

“Well of course I could be Audrey. It’s just a matter of seniority.” Azula shrugged, she looked up at the sound of the door opening, “Hey Zuko. Can you drive Mai and Ty Lee home too?” 

Zuko nodded, the three girls continued their conversation. From what Sokka gathered the goth one was Mai and Ty Lee was the one who was overly happy and walked around on her hands. They walked out to the parking lot together and said their goodbyes.

-

About a week later there were auditions. And of course, that meant Sokka was in charge of herding multiple anxious children to and from the auditorium. Surprisingly this was one of his “low stress” jobs.

He looked at his long, long list of names. First up was Azula, which made sense, she did seem like an overachiever. He brought her in, a little bit wary. She was very intimidating for a fourteen year old. She got hers over with quickly, and she was actually very talented. Nice to know there would be some good people left after Sokka was gone. 

The next person Sokka was friends with on the list was Yue. He smiled at her when she approached him. Today she wore darker makeup that contrasted with her hair, a white tank top and some black jeans. Everyone knew she was going to get Audrey, she was perfect. She was beautiful and talented, but she was still nice to everyone she met. They used to date when she was a freshman and he was a sophomore. It was toward the end of the year so it wasn't that weird. It still makes Sokka laugh though, because little did they know she was a raging lesbian, and they definitely got along way better as friends. She was just starting her junior year, and Sokka felt safe leaving the drama club in her hands next year. She nailed her audition, of course.

After Yue left and he sent in Ty Lee, Mai approached him.

“Hey,” She greeted him, sounding bored.

“Uh, hi.” He looked down at his list. It was long, but he was pretty sure she wasn’t on it, “You’re not on the list.”

“Yeah, I know.” She looked at her nails, “I wanted to do tech.”

“Oh! Nice,” Sokka brightened up a little, “Here, I want you to hunt down these people.” He pointed to the next people up on deck. It was some folks he didn’t know super well so he wasn’t super invested in listening in on their auditions. Mai nodded and walked off quickly, clearly taking this job very seriously. 

After a couple hours of listening to a bunch of teens sing the same section of Suddenly Seymour of Somewhere That’s Green over and over again, he was about to lose his damn mind. But then he noticed, Zuko was up next. Mai had to leave after Ty Lee and Azula got bored, so he went and found Zuko himself. 

He was in the art room. It was empty, all the lingering art kids had left about an hour ago. Mr. Piandao probably kicked them out. He had to sometimes. But Zuko was standing in the center where Piandao sometimes had still lifes. And he was singing.

Interestingly enough, he wasn’t singing anything from the play. Sokka recognized the song, it was Mr. Brightside, about halfway through. He realized the other boy had headphones in and didn’t hear him approach. Sokka went back into the hallway until he finished. Once he heard Zuko’s voice stop he went back in. 

“Hey!” He yelled, hoping that was loud enough. It was, Zuko startled and yanked one of his earbuds out. 

“Jesus fucking Christ.” He wheezed, holding his chest like an old man.

“Sorry.” Sokka laughed, holding his hand in front of his mouth. “You’re up.”

“Oh.” 

Sokka waited for Zuko to grab his stuff and they walked to the audi together. 

“You ready?” He asked, just trying to fill the silence.

“I hope so.”

“You’re gonna nail it.” Sokka hit his back encouragingly. Zuko smiled at the floor, dropping his backpack and propping it up against the wall. Sokka sat down, this was the last one. He leaned back so he could listen. 

The opening notes to Suddenly Seymour came in, and though he had heard it a million times today, he didn’t mind this time. Zuko’s voice was soft, he carried the notes perfectly. His part finished and the track filled in for him for about a minute. Then he started belting and Sokka had to keep himself from losing his mind in the damn hallway. He had only been really talking to Zuko for like a week and a half but he felt so proud. Well. Now he knew who was playing who.

When Zuko came out of the auditorium Sokka hugged him on sight. Zuko laughed and hugged back. 

“You’re amazing!” Sokka almost yelled.

“Shhh…” Zuko giggled quietly.

“Did you drive today?” He asked, “Fuck it, let’s go get food or something.”  
“I haven’t even been cast!” Zuko laughed, smiling wider than Sokka had seen yet.

“So? You killed it!” 

“I did fine.”

“Shut up,” Sokka shoved him playfully, “You did amazing.”

Zuko blushed and looked down, “Thanks.”

“No problem. Now let’s go.”

Sokka drove.

“This is Kragatha.” 

“What.”

“The car. Her name is Kragatha.” 

“How is that spelled.”

“K, R, uhh… Agatha.”

“Okay.” 

Sokka laughed and plugged in his phone. He decided to play something chill today. Hozier, to signify to the other gay in the car that he was in fact gay and horny.

He didn’t know Zuko liked this kinda stuff. But he almost had a heart attack trying to back out of his parking spot when he started singing along. Fuck. 

Sokka noticed, he probably didn’t even know he was singing. Zuko was singing quietly, just barely audible over the speakers. He was singing for himself because it made him happy. And Sokka thought that was beautiful. So he stayed quiet for once in his life, just to listen to the other boy sing.

They pulled into the driveway of a local diner a few songs later. It was a miracle Sokka didn’t crash Kragatha. It was just a cute, greasy little diner. It was one of Sokka’s favorite spots in Omashu. He got out and waited for Zuko.

They sat in a booth. It was remarkably date-like but Sokka shut down that line of thought real fast. They ordered a basket of fries, the servings here were huge so they could share. They brushed hands a whole lot and they told dumb jokes. And they laughed so hard they didn’t notice the waiter standing waiting to give them the check. Remarkably date-like, but they wouldn’t admit it. 

Sokka brought Zuko back to his car. He put Hozier on again on the way back, for purely selfish reasons.

They stood outside his car for a while. Zuko’s car was way nicer, which made sense cause he  _ did _ come from money. Eventually it grew dark and they had to go home. Sokka left feeling sick to his stomach, in a good way. And he would convince himself otherwise but Zuko felt the same.

The cast list came out a week later. Sokka wasn’t even an actor and he still felt anxious. He thought he knew exactly who would be cast but it was all different now.

Well. He opened the link and his stomach flipped over. 

**Seymour - Zuko**

He mentally cheered and looked further down the list.

**Seymour - Zuko**

**Audrey - Yue**

**Audrey II - June**

**Orin - Azula**

**Trio - Ty Lee, Song, Jin**

**Mushnik - Haru**

Of course Yue was Audrey. She killed her audition. The rest of them were alright too. Except for Mushnik maybe, that was a little weird. But probably because he could never really see Haru as being slimy or manipulative.

He dialed Zuko’s number. He picked up surprisingly quickly, giving Sokka no time to emotionally prepare.

“Um. Hi.”

“Hey!” Sokka laughed, “You got it!”

“Got… what.”

“Dude.”

“What.”

“Look at the fucking cast list, you fool.” 

“OH.”

Sokka hit himself in the head. “Yeah.”

“Holy shit.”

“I told you, you did great.” Sokka smiled softly, though he couldn’t see it.

“Thanks,” He could hear the blush and small smile through the phone.

“You’re like, super talented man, you don’t even know.” Zuko laughed at that. And they talked for a few hours before it got late. Zuko must have fallen asleep on the phone, cause he stayed silent for a long time. Sokka hung up, also tired. This year was going to be fucking incredible. And then he passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really like this one but it's probably just the confidence issues lol.


	3. Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Halloween, and as per tradition Sokka and Katara throw a party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: They smoke weed and they talk about mental illness/medication  
> There's also a conversation about pegging but it's just a lighthearted joke.  
> ALSO new title bc the original title was only a place holder— it’s from a song called Letterman by Gay Nineties

“I can’t believe you got a fucking bat stuck in your hair.”  
“Hey! The stuff I was using to stick it to the wall is difficult.” Sokka fidgeted, “Not my fault.”  
Slender fingers tugged aggressively at his hair as Katara tried to yank the plastic Party City bat out of it. He had left his hair down while they decorated the living room for that night.  
“A hundred percent your fault.” She pulled on it.  
“Ow, fuck!”  
“Stop moving and it won’t hurt.”  
“You-- you’re the one that pulled on it!”  
She made one more attempt to brute force it out and it finally came loose. Luckily he only lost a few strands of hair. This is why he normally kept it tied up. He pulled the elastic off his wrist and pulled his hair back.  
“Thank you.”  
“No problem.” Katara stuck the bat on the wall after picking the hairs off of it. “Now keep working, they’re coming in an hour and I have to get the rest of the food ready.”  
Sokka rolled his eyes but he knew she was right. They had a tradition. They went hard for Halloween. So every year they threw a party and had the gayest fucking Halloween in town. When they first started this tradition in middle school, it was just them, Suki, and Yue. In Sokka’s freshman year they met Haru and Teo. When they met Toph and Aang in Katara’s freshman year they invited them. And now, in Sokka’s senior year, they had invited Zuko, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee.

The living room was completely decked out about an hour later. Bato and Hakoda took a weekend trip so they could have the house, they knew it wouldn’t get crazy. Sokka and Katara made so much food they’d have leftovers for weeks.  
Sokka put on his cheap Jason mask, also from Party City. Katara had made her costume, she was dressed up like Adora from She-Ra. This was because Adora liked women, and as a raging bisexual, this made Katara happy.  
7:00 PM rolled around and Zuko, Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai were exactly on time. Azula had knocked, Zuko looked completely embarrassed, Ty Lee had this shiny grin on her face. Everything about her was shiny really, from her outfit to her personality. Mai just looked bored as usual. Azula was dressed like a vampire, Ty Lee had a stereotypical cat costume, Mai just threw on some devil horns and called it a day. Zuko had a sheet around his shoulders and when Sokka gave him a confused look, he sighed and pulled it over his head. He was a sheet ghost. Shit, that was pretty cute actually.  
Yue came next, she had a camp half-blood shirt left over from her middle school Percy Jackson phase and some jorts.  
Katara came back with Toph and Aang. Aang was dressed like a knight, but he still had his orange sweatshirt on because it was cold. So he had his baggy sweatshirt, a big chestplate, and a helmet that was slightly too big on him. He also had a plastic sword. Toph made fun of him for not getting a real sword, but honestly it was probably a good thing. Toph went as a bat. Sokka prepared himself for the waves of blind jokes yet to come.  
Haru and Teo showed up dressed like pirates together.  
And last, Suki arrived. She had a black witch hat, leather pants, a black tank top, and some boots. A little minimalistic, but she looked cool so who cares.  
Now that everyone was here, Katara put on some music. In the beginning, the groups split up like this, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee talked to each other. Katara, Suki, and Yue sat on the couch, but Suki eventually left those two to talk, and went to hang out with Toph. Aang, Haru, and Teo were talking about some nerd shit. Sokka went into the kitchen. He tossed his mask on the counter.  
He leaned back against the kitchen counter. He fished around in his sweatshirt pocket until his fingers gently wrapped around a joint. Should he keep something so fragile and valuable in his pocket? Probably not, but it was convenient. Weed was legal in Omashu anyway. He found his lighter in his pocket too, and clicked it a couple times before raising the joint and the lighter to his lips.   
The door opened. Sokka froze with the joint in his mouth.  
“Um. Hi.” It was Zuko, “Sorry, I can leave.”  
“Oh, it’s uh,” He lowered the contraband a little, “It’s cool. You mind?”   
“No.”  
“I’ll take it out on the roof actually,” He laughed awkwardly and made to leave. Zuko looked disappointed, so he turned back, “You wanna come?”  
“Yes.”  
Sokka laughed quietly and made a hand gesture for the other boy to follow him.  
There was a window hatch on the ceiling of Sokka’s roof. He climbed up first and turned to help Zuko up. He ignored the way his hand heated up when they touched.  
“Thanks.”  
Sokka smiled at him and looked back down at his joint. He lit it, taking a couple puffs before offering it to Zuko, just for courtesy reasons. When Zuko actually took it he was a little shocked, especially when he didn’t cough.   
“Didn’t know you smoked,” Sokka commented when Zuko was done and passed it back.  
“Anxiety.” He grumbled.  
Sokka hummed and raised the joint to his lips again, “I feel that.”  
Zuko didn’t say anything further so they smoked in silence until the end of the joint. Sokka stuck it in the ashtray he kept on the roof. Hakoda and Bato wouldn’t approve of smoking in the house so he used the roof as his smoke spot. He pulled out the spray he used to get rid of the pot smell and tossed it to Zuko when he was done with it.   
“Thanks.”  
“Don’t mention it. Figured your sister would have a field day if she found out.” Sokka cracked the window hatch back open, hopping down.   
“Yeah. She would.” Zuko followed him back into his room. “I didn’t really want to rejoin the party again anyway.”  
“Me neither,” Sokka admitted, “We can hang out up here.”  
“Sure.” Zuko said quickly. He was waiting for Sokka to suggest it so he didn’t have to ask.   
“Sweet, I have Netflix on my laptop, or we can watch some bootlegs.” He sat down on the mattress. He didn’t have a bedframe. Felt like too much work and money.  
“It’s only a twin mattress but I don’t mind if you don’t”  
“No. I don’t mind.” Zuko sat down next to him on the mattress, sheet still wrapped around his shoulders.  
Sokka booted up his laptop and opened up Netflix. “Do you like horror?” He asked, clicking on the horror section.   
“I love horror.” Zuko said very seriously.  
Sokka grinned and put on Silence of the Lambs. Zuko lit up like a Christmas tree.   
“I love this movie. You know it’s one of three movies to win the big five?” He said, holding up five fingers.   
Sokka grabbed a blanket and tossed it around their shoulders. “What’s the big five?”  
“So at the Oscars, there’s five of the major film awards. Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Screenplay.” Zuko counted them off on his hand.  
“And this movie won all of them?” Sokka didn’t know anything about film but he liked how passionate Zuko seemed.  
“Yeah, and only two other movies have done that.”   
“Oh. Which ones?”   
“They’re ‘It Happened One Night’, and ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest’.” Zuko looked up while he listed these.  
“Oh. I’ve never heard of them.” Sokka admitted.  
Zuko shrugged. “They’re alright.”   
“What’s your favorite movie?” Sokka asked, it was probably something artsy and indie that he’d never heard of.  
Zuko flushed, “It’s kinda stupid, but.” He looked down, “My favorite movie is Ratatouille.”  
“No way.” Sokka grinned, “I love that movie. I thought it would be something obscure.”  
“We should watch it sometime.”  
“Of fucking course we should, what are you doing after rehearsal on Monday?” Sokka sat back onto his pillow.   
“Guess I’m watching Ratatouille.”  
Sokka smiled at him and turned up the volume on Silence of the Lambs.  
  
They ended up laughing at the movie more than was probably appropriate. Sokka looked over to Zuko, “Jodie Foster’s gay, y’know.”  
“Me too.” Zuko laughed, leaning onto Sokka’s arm a little bit.   
“I mean, I’m bi but the sentiment still stands. Jodie’s a queen.” Sokka tried to ignore the feeling in his arm.   
Zuko hummed and his eyes fluttered shut for a half a minute. The movie was almost over, it was about 11.  
When the movie finished, it was 11:26. Zuko was basically half asleep, curled up in his sheet ghost costume and Sokka’s blanket with him.   
Sokka nudged him a little bit, Zuko inhaled sharply and looked up sleepily.   
“What,” He mumbled, rubbing his eyes, “What’s up?”  
“It’s getting late.” Sokka said softly, “You’re crashing here, right?” They always let everyone stay over the night of the party.   
“Yeah.”   
“Cool.” Sokka was tired himself, so he just sank down into a lying position.   
Zuko curled into his chest and Sokka froze, before he just let it happen. They’d deal with it in the morning. He let himself go to sleep.

Zuko woke up alone on Sunday morning. He remembered the party, the roof, and the movie. He sat up, stumbling downstairs to where he left his backpack on the couch. When he made it downstairs he heard music, and smelled bacon from the kitchen. He poked his head in to see Sokka, scooping pancake batter into a pan.   
“Morning.” Sokka grinned, setting the ladle down in the batter bowl.   
“Morning.” Zuko mumbled, fishing his toothbrush and toothpaste out of his backpack.  
“Bathroom’s down the hall on the right.”  
“Thanks.” When he reached the bathroom he looked at himself in the mirror. He felt like shit, but that was just exhaustion and depression. He splashed some water on his face and took care of his teeth.   
Sokka was flipping pancakes when he got back to the kitchen. He tossed his stuff back into his back and pulled out his meds.  
“Oh what kind do you have?” He asked, “You don’t have to tell me. I just take stuff too.”  
“Prozac.”  
“Ooh, anxiety or depression?”  
“Yes.”  
“Yeah,” Sokka turned over some eggs, “Me too. Plus ADHD but I have adderall for that. I don’t take Prozac though, I got Lexapro.”  
Zuko hummed in response, “I’m autistic.”  
“Cool. How do you like your eggs?” Sokka asked, “And do you eat meat?”   
“Scrambled is fine. And yes, I eat meat.”  
Sokka set down a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and a pancake that he managed to put a smiley face on. He slid maple syrup and butter across the island to Zuko.  
“No rush on the syrup and butter, but the others are in the dining room.” Sokka picked up one of the pans and opened the door, “You’re welcome to join if you want.” He left the room. Zuko picked up the butter and syrup and used it, finishing by the time Sokka returned.   
Sokka grabbed the pans of bacon and pancakes, leaving again. Finally he came back for the butter and syrup. “Are you hanging out here, or are you coming to the dining room?”  
“I’ll come to the dining room.” Zuko picked up his plate, Sokka smiled at him and held the door open for him.  
“Hey Zuko!” Aang cheered, dropping two pancakes on his plate. He didn’t eat meat so he took more eggs and pancakes then the others.  
“Hi.” Zuko said shyly, scanning the table. There were two seats between Aang and Katara, so Zuko took the one next to Aang and Sokka sat next to him.   
The table was long with enough for five people on each side, and one at each of the ends of the table. Toph and Suki were the heads of the table because of course they were. One side of the table was Aang, Zuko, Sokka, Katara, and Yue. Across from them was Haru, Teo, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee.  
Sokka helped himself to a pancake, eggs, and lot of bacon once he saw that everyone else had their food. Once they had all gotten into their food, Toph was loudly talking to Suki about something called pegging. Katara looked mortified, Zuko looked to Aang in confusion and he just shrugged and took a massive bite of pancake. Sokka was laughing along with them, Haru quietly laughed with Teo.   
“What’s pegging?” Zuko asked, the table fell silent.  
Toph cackled, mouth full of food.  
“Don’t ask,” Katara said with her face in her hands.   
“Oh. Sorry.” He looked back at his food.  
“Y’all--” Suki said, “Zuko it’s not even bad, they’re just fucking with you. It’s when a lady… tops a dude.”  
“Oh.” He knew what top meant.  
“Damn, and I thought Teo was all sweet and innocent.” Toph chuckled, stabbing her eggs.  
“Thank you, Toph.” Teo said.  
“I don’t know if that’s a compliment.”  
“Sure it is.” Sokka said, “Don’t worry about it Zuko, Toph didn’t know what grindr was until fairly recently.”  
“I’m not a man! And I don’t like men! Why the fuck would I know about that?”   
“Common knowledge?” Sokka laughed.  
“I do know what that is.” Zuko mumbled.  
“It’d be okay if you didn’t.” Sokka reassured him.  
“Thanks. I think.”  
“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t know what pegging or grindr is.” Aang piped up, popping another piece of pancake in his mouth, “Nobody tell me.”  
“Of course you don’t.” Toph snorted.  
Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee were in their own conversation about something. Probably for the better.   
A few minutes later Sokka started clearing away plates. Suki stood.   
“Well y’all. It’s been great. Who am I driving?”   
Toph practically jumped up, tripping over her chair but catching herself on the wall.  
“I can walk.” Aang said.  
Haru and Teo left together, Zuko was driving his sister and her friends.  
“See you Monday.” He said, herding the three girls out the door.  
“Bye!” Sokka said, smiling.   
Once he closed the door, he and Katara turned to the mess. They sighed together.  
“First one to the speaker picks the music.” Sokka said. They took off running.


	4. Ratatouille Is Far More Sinister Than We Think It Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka and Zuko have their movie night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: slight Cats (the musical) spoilers but also that musical is decades old.
> 
> Also Cats is actually a very deep and nuanced musical and you can fight me on this. I watched Cats 2019 while high out of my mind, I'm practically an expert.

They finished up rehearsal and Sokka walked up to Zuko.

“Ready to go?” He asked, and when Zuko nodded he asked the follow up question, “Are we taking Kragatha or driving separate?”

“I didn’t bring my car, so Kragatha I guess.”

“Kragatha it is!” Sokka knew he didn’t need to say her name that often but it gave him a little boost of serotonin whenever he did.

Zuko laughed and followed Sokka out to the senior lot.

“What kind of music do you like?” He asked when they got in Kragatha. It was a question that he rarely offered to people. 

“I really like Peach Pit right now.”

“Dude! I fucking love Peach Pit.” Sokka tossed his phone into Zuko’s lap, “Put them on, I don’t care which album.”

Zuko just put them on shuffle and Shampoo Bottles came over the speakers. Unsurprisingly Zuko started singing along quietly. Sokka shut up and listened to him sing. Even though he heard him sing at rehearsal almost every day he would probably never get sick of it. 

“You’re really good, y’know.”

Zuko stopped immediately. Sokka felt guilty for pointing it out.

“Thanks.” Zuko said awkwardly. “You’re a good driver.” He sounded unsure of what he said but Sokka barked out a laugh. 

“Thanks, Zuko.” He sped up a little. After about a minute Zuko had started singing again without realizing. They pulled into the grocery store parking lot when the song faded out. 

“What snacks do you want?” Sokka asked, walking down the snack aisle with a strange amount of confidence.   
“Whatever’s fine.” Zuko lied. 

Sokka smiled at him, “Pick out something you like.” Zuko nodded quietly and picked up a bag of sour patch kids.

“A man of taste.” Sokka joked, grabbing some reeses and some microwave popcorn.

“I used to eat them a lot as a kid.”  
“Yeah me too.” He looked up. Zuko looked so uncomfortable being in the grocery store that Sokka decided to call it there. He wasn’t going to buy anything else anyway.

When they got to the front where the aisles were, Zuko made to go to a different aisle to pay for his own stuff.

“Hey Zuko, don’t worry about it.” Sokka said, “It’s like two dollars, I’ve got it.”

Zuko flushed red but set the candy down anyway. Sokka handed over the money to the cashier.

They listened to more Peach Pit on the way home, and Sokka pretended not to notice the singing. 

Sokka unlocked the door and kicked his shoes off, Zuko mirrored his actions out of politeness, and probably anxiety.

Sokka made the popcorn in the kitchen, he fished the sour patch kids out of the bag and tossed them into Zuko’s chest. When the popcorn was done they went upstairs.

“Same set up as last time, if that’s cool with you.” Sokka explained.

“Yeah that works for me.” Zuko said, opening his candy and sitting down on Sokka’s mattress. 

Sokka booted up his laptop and opened the torrent of Ratatouille. He didn’t feel like paying for it.

“Damn. A real criminal.” Zuko joked, and Sokka was so taken aback that he laughed so ungracefully that the popcorn almost spilled everywhere. “It wasn’t that funny, was it?” Zuko asked, popping a sour patch kid in his mouth.

“I thought it was funny.” Sokka said, pressing play on the movie. He wrapped his blanket around the two of them again. 

“No one ever questions why that old lady went so fucking hard.” Sokka points out, “Like, why did she need a fucking shotgun to kill a rat? And why kill the rat when you could just let it go? Clearly she has some rat related trauma.” 

Zuko laughed, “Shut up and watch the movie.”

They watched the movie in silence until something happened that was a little bit strange, and Sokka would crack a joke about it, and Zuko would pretend to be annoyed. 

“I’m just saying, Remy was definitely on something.” Sokka argued, “He’s been straight up hallucinating this whole time and no one questions it.” 

“It’s a kid’s movie, Sokka.”

“Which makes it even more fucked up! Remy ate a magic mushroom or something. Kids shouldn’t be exposed to that!” 

Zuko rolled his eyes, trying to suppress a smile. Sokka felt his stomach flip. Zuko leaned into Sokka’s arm again but this time Sokka wrapped his arm around him, allowing him to get more comfortable. 

“That rat’s kinda thick.” Sokka pointed out when Remy’s brother appeared on screen.

“Sokka that’s horrifying.”

“Am I wrong? Look at his proportions, am I fucking wrong?” 

“Yes. You’re wrong.”

“Liar.”

Zuko huffed out a laugh and whacked him in the chest.

“Shut up.”

Sokka laughed softly. The following silence was thick but not uncomfortable. 

“Hey, why doesn’t Alfredo have a French accent?”

“I don’t know Sokka.”

“And why don’t any of the rats have French accents? Presumably if they can speak English to each other they heard it from somewhere. And since they live in France, they must have heard it from someone with a French accent. But that person with the French accent was only speaking English around these rats. Unless of course, Remy the rat is bilingual. But we never see him speak French. So for this movie to make sense, these rats all spent so much time with a French native who only speaks English around their pest problem, but also doesn’t have a French accent. Did the rats just decide they didn’t want a French accent? Did the rats--”

He was cut off when Zuko whacked him with a pillow.

“I’m a visionary!” Sokka yelled, “They did this to Galileo too. They weren’t ready for his ideas.”

“Oh my god, Sokka.” Zuko wheezed, “It’s a Disney movie.”

“So?” Sokka challenged, “Disney movies can be complicated.”

“You’re reaching. You’re making this more complicated.”

“I’m a detective. I need to consider every possibility.” Sokka said certainly. “And it’s a very real possibility that something sinister happened to Remy and his family.”

“Do tell.”

“Remy used to be a lab rat.” Sokka held up his pointer finger.

“Jesus fucking christ.” Zuko rubbed his face. 

“No hear me out,” Sokka said, waving his free hand around, “Why does Remy have this incredible taste? What if he was experimented on? And you know who did it? Gusteau himself.”

“Sokka--”

“According to Auguste Gusteau, anyone can cook.” Sokka said intensely, “He was adamant about that. He says that so many times. He’s certain about it.”

“Yeah, because he’s a nice guy.” Zuko said, exasperated.

“No! Because he’s a sinister rat experimenter.” Sokka pointed at Gusteau when he came up on screen. “He was so desperate to prove that  _ anyone _ could cook, that he got himself a rat and he experimented on him. He gave him good taste buds. But the experiment went awry. The government found out about his cruel experiments and Gusteau needed to get rid of the evidence. So he wipes Remy’s memory and dumps him in some field, where he’s discovered by his rat dad. That’s right. Remy’s adopted.”

Zuko groaned.

“Why do you think we never see his mother? Why doesn’t he look anything like his father or his brother?” 

“Sokka, this is so depressing.”

“That’s why Remy hallucinates Gusteau for the entire movie.” Sokka was nearly shouting and Zuko was trying hard not to laugh, “It was repressed memories coming back! He’s traumatized, Zuko!”

“You’re insane!”

“No  _ he’s _ insane!” Sokka whipped his arm and pointed at Gusteau.

Zuko laughed and hit him in the chest.

“Violence is never the answer, Zuko.” Sokka chided him jokingly. “It’s okay. I respect your difference in opinion. Even if it’s wrong.”

Zuko pouted and looked back at the movie. It was coming to a close.

“So now that we finished the movie.” Sokka started.

“I don’t like where this is going.”

“What do you think about my theory now?” 

“Well after a serious analysis of the subject material, your theory, and your brain,” Zuko paused, like he was thinking, “It’s all bullshit.” He grinned up at Sokka, who squawked in fake offense.

“It’s fine. The world’s not ready for my ideas.” He sighed, “Just another genius in a world of fools.”

“It’s okay Sokka.” Zuko patted his chest, “I support you.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Zuko said brightly, “What time is it?”

Sokka squinted at the clock on his laptop screen, “It’s like 8 o’clock.” He looked down at Zuko, “Kinda early. Wanna watch another one?”

“Sure.”

“Okay so in my bootleg folder,” Sokka clicked out of Ratatouille and opened the folder in the corner of his desktop. 

“You have Hercules.” Zuko pointed out.

“Yeah, you wanna watch it?”

“Sure.” Zuko shrugged, “I’m pretty sure Hercules was my gay awakening. Not the character. Just the experience of watching it.”

Sokka laughed, clicking on the movie. He had it downloaded because him and Katara used to watch it all the time when they were younger and they had wanted to revisit it recently.

Ratatouille was not a musical, so Sokka was not prepared for Zuko to start singing quietly during Hercules. Maybe Ratatouille  _ should _ be a musical. Maybe something like Cats. On the other hand, maybe not. Sokka decided to keep this thought process to himself this time, he didn’t want to interrupt Zuko.

By the time Hercules was over, it was almost 11.

“Hey,” Sokka shook Zuko with the arm he had around him, “Did you want me to drive you home?”

Zuko yawned, “Up to you.”

“You can crash here if you want.” Sokka offered.

“My uncle might be worried.” Zuko mumbled, looking for his phone. “I’ll text him.”

“Go for it.”

“He says ‘thanks for texting,” He laughed, “He always replies quickly.” Zuko’s phone buzzed again. “Azula has Mai and Ty Lee over, he suggested I stay here. If you don’t mind.”

“Nah, I don’t mind.” Sokka yawned, “Didn’t feel like driving anyway.” He stood up, “I’m gonna put on sweatpants instead of my jeans.”

Zuko nodded to acknowledge he heard him, picking up his backpack and pulling out some pajama pants. He left the room to change in the bathroom.

Sokka flopped down on his mattress. Zuko re entered his room and sat down next to him. Sokka held up his blanket and tossed it onto Zuko. 

“Thanks.” Zuko laughed.

“You’re welcome,” Sokka said, “I’m going to sleep, I’m fuckin’ tired.”

“Yeah.” Zuko mumbled, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”


End file.
